Cookies

1. Throw a bunch of dog treats in the air and scream “IM MAKING IT RAIN!” And then see your dog freak out and run around trying to eat them as quickly as possible.

Don’t have a dog? No biggie, here’s another fun weekend activity: Make fortune cookies.

I first had intentions of making these fortune cookies REALLY dark. Think Cards of Humanity but with fortunes. People are sensitive on the internets, I have found, so I kept it one-hundred, as they say.

My favorite was Cookie Monster. I’m not kidding. I actually have my old Cookie Monster stuffed animal, that’s stained and gross, which I have had since birth sitting in my current closet. I could never throw it away, though it should probably go to the dry-cleaners.

It should be no surprise that I loooove cookies. Love. One of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve ever created has no butter in it. That is a very, very bold statement, but it’s absolutely true. I’m very enthusiastic about these cookies!

A few months ago I had the pleasure to create and write a bunch of recipes for LouAna Coconut Oil. While I would definitely say I was a coconut oil fan before taking on this job, I was an even bigger fan after.

But let’s get back to these cookies because they’re important. The recipe begins like most cookie recipe start: by creaming together the fat (in this case coconut oil) with brown sugar and white sugar. I added a bit of rolled oats because I love the texture they add to cookies. And dark chocolate chunks make these cookies feel lil’ more grown-up.

I can honestly say that these don’t taste like you’re making the right choice, but you are.

Just promise me you will eat them with a side of milk. Whether it’s cow’s milk, almond or some other hippie milk I haven’t heard of, then that’s fine too.

It’s that season when time moves at lightening speed, when all I want to do is sit around wrapping presents and listening to George Bailey monologues…all while eating cookies.

If any cookie will become your main bish this season, let it be the brookie, please.

It’s a cookie that tastes like a brownie! It’s chocolatey yet thin and light, there are walnuts and you can eat like 15 and still feel great. (Probably not.)

I didn’t come up with the clever lil’ name of brookies all by myself, Whitney did and she actually got it from some British beauty YouTuber she was watching so basically it just goes back to that old adage that no idea is original and it’s all just recycled stuff.

I’m not really sure what’s up with me but for the past four months I’ve been on a brownie kick. I’ve tried sooo many mixes at the store and all of them are kind of a bummer. They have way too much leavening, the cocoa powder doesn’t add enough chocolate in there and the texture always seems to be a bit off. But I want to like a mix. I do. I can understand why people love them. I can literally have mediocre brownies in the oven in like 5 minutes. Pretty remarkable.

Luckily these don’t take too much longer than 5 minutes, maybe 10 minutes?

I used fancy chocolate but honestly you don’t have to. Chips are totally fine. Just not Trader Joe’s chips because they seize and they’re the absolute worst quality chocolate. But Ghiradelli, Nestle, Whole Foods brand, all ok.

These cookies took me a good minute to get right. I’m not going to bore you with what went wrong every single time, but let’s just say I kept putting the batter in the freezer to chill, only to find that less wait time (no freezer time!) yielded the best cookie.

It’s a win-win situation.

I’m not a big milk drinker. Never had the stuff at dinner like all my friends growing up, but these cookies NEED milk. At the very least a glass of water. They need something to quench the thirst because they’re rich and chocolaty and salty and sweet. AHH! And there are walnuts.

Walnut Chocolate Brookies (Brownies + Cookies)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Yield: 16 cookies

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (if chips, no need to chop)

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Maldon sea salt flakes, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. To a medium bowl, set over a saucepan of simmering water, add the chocolate and butter; allow to melt and then stir until smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, using the paddle attachment, add the eggs and sugars. Beat until the powdered sugar is completely incorporated and the color of the mixture turns a light yellow. Add the vanilla and salt. Next, with the mixer on low, add the reserved melted chocolate and mix until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour and baking powder. Scrape down the sides once more and give it one last mix. Lastly, fold in the walnuts. The mixture will resemble more of a batter than a dough. It should be shiny and wet.

Using a #20 ice cream scoop (essential two heaping teaspoons worth of batter or 2 ounces), drop mounds of dough, spacing them about 2 inches a part. If the mound doesn’t seem like it will spread into a perfect circle, don’t be afraid to shape it with your finger. I did this and was glad I did. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven for 5-7 minutes, until the cookies appear crackly and wet in the center and slightly puffed.

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet to cool, about 10 minutes, and then using a very thin spatula, such as a fish spatula, move the cookies to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough/batter until all the cookies are baked. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt for garnish. If you’re transporting the, be sure to put a sheet of parchment between stacks since these cookies do like to stick together a bit when you piled them.

Notes

This recipe works best with a silicon baking sheet. If you're using parchment, be sure to get under the cookies with a thin metal spatula, such as a fish spatula.

1. Apparently I can get five hours of sleep and be totally fine the next day, which basically means I’m turning into my dad. I think as you get older, you need less sleep. (I have no idea if this is actually true.)

2. If I follow a dog on Instagram, and then MEET the dog in person, it’ll instantly make my week. I was driving down the street, on my way to get a smoovie, when I drove right past Arrow the Corgi. Of course, I spotted him because I spot all corgis, rolled down the window like the psycho that I am and was all like, “Is that Arrow the Corgi?!?!”

3. Lastly, I learned that the only thing better than a cookie is a big ass cookie the size of my face. Also, walnuts. They so belong in a gigantic chocolate chip cookie.

I’d like to tell you the reason why you should make this is because it’s easier (no scooping out dough), but let’s be honest, scooping out dough isn’t the most labor-intensive thing in the world.

I think this cookie is cool because it’s gigantic; it’s impressive and really it’s just kinda fun.

Alfajores, my favorite Peruvian cookie, has been a long-standing favorite. (I first blogged about them two years ago here!) Back in the day, I made them in a smaller version, and I continue to do so. I would categorize them as a deceivingly rich cookie. They’re blond in color so you think nothing of it, but honestly after one big cookie, I’m totally done. The solution has always been simple for me: make them mini!If you’ve never had them or heard of them, I’ll happily explain…

Think short bread cookie sandwich, filled with creamy dulce de leche (Peruvians call it manjar blanco). They’re super easy to make and remind me of being a little kid. The older version calls for white sugar, which results in a crisper cookie. My dad actually prefers the snappy version, but if you’re looking for a softer version, sub in powdered sugar.

I blogged about the newer, softer version over on PBS Food where you can get the full recipe and see more pretty pictures of cookies.

Not sure if you have noticed but the internets are full to the brim with gift guides. I feel like two years ago, I’d see…oh I dunno, like one or two or ten gift guides. Now? A million, I swear. They’re everywhere. So, like all of us, I’ve started sifting through them because I’m a good American and looove buying stuff. But then I realized that they’re not really all that helpful because everyone in my life is so picky and such weirdos. The gift guide for “boyfriends” or “dads” doesn’t really apply to the men in my life. Instead I’ve just found all sorts of new stuff that I want for myself, which sort of isn’t the point to gift guides.

One thing I do encourage is gifting something to yourself. I do this every year and it’s the best, seriously. It’s never a big ticket item or anything, just a little something that no one knows I want. I’m not sure what it’s going to be this year but I’m on the hunt. Send your unusual gift ideas my way.

And now, cookies.

And not just any cookies but persimmon cookies. I feel like people only half like persimmons.

I think they’re sooo beautiful. I’ve used fuyus in quite a bit of recipes this year but this recipe uses its counterpart, the hachiya persimmon. Fuyus are short and stout and can be eaten if ripe or super firm. Hachiyas should be eaten when they’re suuuuper ripe; I’m talking very very fragile and soft to the touch.

Hey giiiirl…do you hate gingersnaps like the rest of the world? Be honest…

The internet in the past week has taught me that EVERYONE hates gingersnaps. Maybe it’s a crunchy cookie thing or maybe people dislike the combo of gingerbread and the texture of the snap. I’m not totally sure. I do, however, know that when I asked what kind of cookies should appear during cookie week, a soft tender lil’ gingerbread cookie was suggested at least a dozen times.

I’m going to be honest with you, I’m definitely not a sugar cookie master. I usually don’t even really like them. I love the way they look, actually, and often times find myself in awe of people like Marian. She’s a cookie artist. Chance are, if I walk into a holiday party and there’s a plate of sugar cookies seated right next to a plate of chocolate chip cookies, it’d be an obvious choice for me. Sugar cookies tend to be too sweet and flat-tasting for my liking. They’re sort of there just to look cute. And they do a good job at it—they’re the cutest!

I decided that if I was going to make sugar cookies, they had to taste good. So I swapped out some all-purpose for my beloved rye flour. I added some brown sugar for some depth of flavor and threw in a nice dollop of créme frâiche. I think it adds a nice texture. (Don’t worry, you can substitute sour cream if you’re unable to find créme frâiche at the market. P.S. Trader Joe’s sells it for a pretty inexpensive price.)

If you’ve ever bought a big jar of tahini for hummus and then scratched your head thinking what else you’d use it for, well, this izzzzz it. I remember ions ago, I tried to make hummus without tahini and thought it tasted great. I was like, why would I even need to buy that extra jar of tahini for $8. I obviously had no clue about life in general. Years later I wisened up and bit the bullet and bought tahini. The addition of tahini in hummus was revelatory. And I realized that hummus isn’t hummus without tahini.

These cookies celebrate the flavor of tahini. They have a bit of a bite, are slightly tangy, nutty and their texture is awesome (thanks to the sesame). These cookies are perfectly sweet which works great with all those flavors. And I mean, look at how cute they are!

If there’s one thing I could make every day for the rest of my life, it’d be pie. I like the rolling and the crimping and the filling and the … well, everything. And I (usually) like the thinking pie-making brings. I get all existential and have thoughts like, “is my hand really moving now?! it’s weird that we even exist at all, right now, right here…”

You know, crazy thoughts I used to have more in college when I read too many books and had too many feelings. I remember one night in college staying up all night, listening to this song and thinking way too much about the fact that we all actually exist. (Do you think I’m weird right now? Probably and sorry.) Art school made me angsty; or I went to art school because I was angsty–I’m not sure which one came first. But I do know that pie-making brings back that angst.

The other day I wanted the flavor of pie without my brain going to weird places. I wanted to cut the time in half, but when I closed my eyes, I wanted the flavor to scream key lime pie. So…key lime pie cookies! YES.